In the 1970s, it started with contracting out communal dining.

As he said this, Wu Xiaochun put down the basket of cucumbers in his hand and immediately ran towards Chen Wei's big pot.

Just as Chen Wei turned off the heat, the kid reached into the pot with his chopsticks before Chen Wei's dish was even ready.

"What's the rush! It's not ready yet!"

Chen Wei quickly stopped the person, but heard a loud swallowing sound coming from Wu Xiaochun's throat.

When can we eat?

"You're so greedy! Let me add some chili oil!"

As he spoke, Chen Wei quickly picked up the jar next to him and scooped out two large spoonfuls of chili oil, pouring it into the pot.

The residual heat in the pot immediately brought out the aroma of the chili oil, filling the kitchen with fragrance in an instant.

This chili oil was made by Chen Wei himself before. He didn't use any system prompts; it was just a standard chili oil recipe from his hometown in his previous life. It wasn't particularly good when eaten alone, but for some reason, it went especially well with today's dish of shredded radish in lamp shadow.

The aroma changes immediately after adding the chili oil.

If the previous aroma was spicy and pungent, now the cured meat entering the oven cavity has a soft and lingering aftertaste.

The aroma made Wu Xiaochun's mouth water. He couldn't resist any longer and reached out with his chopsticks to beg for Chen Wei.

"Brother! You're my real brother! Please, just give me a bite, considering I picked such a big basket of cucumbers! I promise I'll only have one bite!"

Chen Wei was both amused and exasperated.

It wasn't that Chen Wei didn't want to give Wu Xiaochun some, but this dish was originally a cold dish, and it didn't taste good at all when it was fresh out of the pot. The longer it sat and cooled down, the more the sauce would slowly seep into the shredded radish.

When you finally eat it, the chewy texture of the shredded radish and the sweet and spicy flavor of the sauce will blend together perfectly – that's truly amazing.

Seeing Wu Xiaochun's drooling expression, Chen Wei had no choice but to step aside.

"Alright, alright, go ahead and eat! If I don't let you eat, you'll be starving!"

"That's right!" Wu Xiaochun echoed repeatedly, immediately picking up his chopsticks and stuffing a large mouthful into his mouth.

"Be careful, it's hot!" Chen Wei reminded him speechlessly.

Fortunately, the shredded radish had been off the heat for a while, so it wasn't very hot to begin with.

Wu Xiaochun rummaged around in his mouth for a while, then closed his eyes and swallowed it, giving a thumbs up.

"It smells so good!"

"Sour, spicy, numbing, savory, and sweet! Five flavors mixed together, Brother Chen, if you hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have known this was shredded radish! Tell me, whose shredded radish can be made so fragrant! Especially that last bit of chili oil, you made the originally dry shredded radish so oily and delicious!"

Wu Xiaochun's words were not entirely flattery.

The first sensation upon tasting that shredded radish was its crispness.

But it's not the stiff, crisp texture of raw radish shreds; it's a springy, crisp texture that comes from being soaked in the sauce.

With one bite, the radish juice bursts between your teeth, a mixture of the spiciness of chili oil, the slight sourness of rice vinegar, and the umami flavor of sugar. The refreshing taste of the sauce shoots straight from the tip of your tongue to the top of your head.

Then came the aroma of Sichuan peppercorn oil. Although the numbing sensation wasn't strong, just a hint, the flavor lingered perfectly on the back of the tongue, bringing out the radish's subtle sweetness.

Wu Xiaochun couldn't help but close his eyes, feeling that he wouldn't trade this bite for anything, not even a god.

This is only the taste of the semi-finished product. He doesn't even dare to imagine what it will taste like after the dish cools down. The combination of the two flavors with the sour and spicy sensation will open up his pores. It will feel like pouring a bucket of cold water on a hot body.

"Have you finished tasting it? If you have, quickly put it in a bucket and put it in the well to chill it."

Chen Wei deliberately waited until Wu Xiaochun finished his bite, his mouth watering, his cravings being piqued, before speaking.

"Oh? We have to soak it in well water to chill it? That...that would make it taste even better!"

Wu Xiaochun's chopsticks stopped in mid-air, and his face instantly contorted with struggle.

Why was he in such a hurry to start eating?

He couldn't even imagine how delicious it would be if this crisp and refreshing radish were chilled in well water!

"Oh dear!" Wu Xiaochun slapped his thigh after being stunned for a long time, reluctantly withdrew the chopsticks from his hand, and sadly packed the stir-fried radish shreds that Chen Wei had prepared into a large bucket and carried it out.

Anyway, he can still sneak a bite when he delivers food to the workers later!

[Ding—, Knife Skills (Beginner): 82/100]

Chen Wei smiled and checked the proficiency level on the panel in his mind.

Sure enough, my proficiency level is almost maxed out.

I might as well max out my proficiency today and see if I get any more rewards.

Chen Wei ignored the dejected Wu Xiaochun and simply directed him to wash the large basket of cucumbers he had just picked and set them aside.

He then picked up the steel kitchen knife and skillfully grabbed a cucumber, tossing it onto the cutting board.

"Tap tap tap tap tap—"

A series of knife cuts rang out, and Chen Wei began preparing the next dish.

The cucumber in a raincoat is different from the shredded radish in lamplight that I just made; he has made this dish countless times.

This time, all he needed to do was use his recipe analysis skills to re-analyze the process and ingredients required for this dish. He was confident in his knife skills, which were absolutely flawless.

The cucumber was quickly prepared. After all, with the support of the level 2 stainless steel knife, the preparation speed was also increased. Even without triggering the knife skills specialization as before, Chenwei's preparation speed could still be described as a quick cut.

"Recipe Analysis!"

After slicing the cucumber, Chen Wei immediately activated the recipe analysis function.

A waiting circle immediately appeared on the transparent panel in front of me.

[Analysis progress: 32%, 56%, 78%...100%]

[Ding—Analysis complete! Recommended recipe: Stir-fried cucumber with a shredded cucumber leaf!]

[Note: This recipe is sour, spicy, and savory, and it's easy to make, making it perfect for summer.]

got it!

Chen Wei immediately clicked on the details of the recipe and began to look at it.

[Main ingredient: cucumber; Side ingredients: garlic, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns; Seasonings: light soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, sugar...]

After reviewing the steps once, they were already imprinted in Chen Wei's mind, and the next step was the production process.

He first neatly arranged the sliced ​​cucumbers in a porcelain basin, then sprinkled them with a thin layer of salt to marinate them. Naturally, he still used a large ladle to extract the salt, using just the right amount.

"Perfect!"

After mixing well, wait 30 minutes.

This step is to allow the subsequent sauce to penetrate the folds of the straw raincoat more easily and to remove excess water from the cucumber.

While the marinating process was in progress, Chen Wei started to heat oil in a wok to make the sauce.

When the pot reached its maximum temperature of 70%, Chen Wei threw the peppercorns into the oil and fried them until fragrant. When the oil temperature rose again, he immediately threw the small red chilies into the oil.

The hot oil instantly released the spicy aroma of the millet peppers in the pot, and Wu Xiaochun sneezed as soon as he entered the room.

"My mom actually makes cucumbers wrapped in straw raincoats!"

Wu Xiaochun pursed his lips, not daring to have too many expectations for this former failure.